St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-02-07
THE VERMONT HORROR.
Eight Thousand People See Sabbath
Sights to Which Their Memories Will
Cling Till Death.
The Number of Persons on the Inflated
Train Believed to Have Been
Eighty-0ne.
OF Whom About Four Score are
Numbered Among the Dead or
MortaI1y Wounded.
Graphic Account of the Doings of
the Living at the Scene of
the Wreck.

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, Vt, Feb. 6.
Probably 5000 persons visited the scene
of the railroad accident to-day. The only
trains run were for the accommodation of
officials and for carrying the wounded and
dead. Consequently all manner of convey
ances were brought into requisition, many
teams coming from distance of forty and
hfty miles and centering here in long pro.
cessions. Seven or eight bodies were to-day
identified by friends. and many
heart-rending scenes were witnessed.
1t is utterly impossible to identify more
than ten Or twelve of those recovered, the
clothing being entirely gone and the bodies
burned to crisp. Conductor Sturteyant
died to-day, and his body was taken to his
home by a special train. Arrangements
have been completed for sending all
freight via the Wells River or the
Rutland loads until the new trestie, which
was begun to-day, is completed. All pas
senger trains from points north of Mont
pelier are to go via the Wells river road.
while for local points, between here and
there
ARRANGEMENTS FOR TRANSFERRING
by the break with little delay are made
The damage to rolling stock is estimated
at $50, ,000. A wooden bridge
like the old one will cost
SO, 600. but it will probably be rebuilt
with iron, costing $780, 900. The money
loss of the road from the interruption to
travel will be large. The work of recover
ing wreckage and bodies has been pushed
vigorously all day. The ruins have been
minutely searched, and probably all re-
Lt,,A -
of the wrecked cars has all been
pulled over and cleared away. The total
number of bodies recovered to-day is five,
one woman and four men. Drs. Grnnell
and Bingham, of Burlington, have to-day
thoroughly examined the charred remains
of victims thus far recovered for the pur-
pose of ascertaining the number.
They report it to be up to this
morning just twenty-seyen, which, with
the five found to-day, makes thirtytwo re-
covered thus far. This statement is verified
by Lieut.. Gov. Fuller. Mr. Fuller is doing
everything in his power for all sufferers.
He has been instrumental in establish
ing
BUREAU OF INFORMATION.
All communications regarding passengers
should be addressed to Henry E. Tinker,
station agent, White River Junction. Mr..
Fuller also indorses the statement that
from all information obtainable at this time
from connecting road ticket agents and
survivors of the disaster it is
believed the total number of
souls on board of the ill-fated
train, including train-men, was eighty-one.
OF these thirty-two are accounted for as
above thirty-tive are in the care of sur
geonS. one died to-day and nine left on the
same train with the uninjured, leaving only
four unaceounted for. 1t is understood
there were some children without tickets.
so the above figures may be slightly changed.
Every article of clothing, scrap of paper or
other things found. is being carefully saved
for the purpose of Identification and par
ties having friends unaccounted for will be
afforded every means or clue to the identit-
cation Of the
LOST OR UNKNOWN.
The best OF police protection has been
given from the first. Some of the wreck
has been taken off. and the sheriff, assisted
bv numerous special deputies, permits only
workmen and known interested parties in
side. It is believed that. so far,
no thieving has occurred. Little idea
can be formed of the difficulties
in the way of obtaining report of the ac-
cident that would give the public a correct
idea of the condition of things. At the
time of the accident and ever since the ther-
mometer has registered from Sc to Is
below. The suffering from cold was in
tense. There are two or three farm
houses within two miles of the wreck, and
these were filled with the wounded. Others
are scattered along for tGree or four miles,
with no means Of communication except by
train. All the road officials are Oh the
ground, and everything possible is being
fc, = fk,,a. Gnlo md Jup I,S
of people searching for friends are here,
and nearly every newspaper in New Eng
land has a representative at the scene of the
wreck. Work was
SUSPENDED AT DARK
last night owing to the severity of the
weather. but was resumed this morning.
The water in the White river at the place
of the accident is not more than five or six
feet deep, with but little current. and the
ice is perhaps fourteen inches thick
The falling of the cars upon the
ice and the heat of the fire melted
the ice clean through. But little of the
personal effects of the passengers is left to
reveal the identity of their owners. A COM
parson of the tickets taken up by the con-
ductors of the incoming and connecting
trains largely reduces the number of per-
sons on the train. Conductor Andrew Bean,
of the Boston 65 Lowell railway,
gives the exact number of tickets taken up
for points beyond where the accident oc-
Cured as thirty-siX, of which sixteen were
collected in the car Belgium" The con-
ductor of the Connecticut river road
counts his as just thirty. This
leaves only very few who probably
came over the PassumpSe, and those
starting from here. probably not exceeding
ten in all beside the railroad mei. who
were Oh the train. OF these five are ac-
coulfed for as amoug the wounded, and the
number of those in the smoker is
yARIoUsLY ESTIMATED
of from 40 to so. Charles II. Pierce, of
This place. engineer of the wrecked train.
i about IS Y arS old. He has been EN-
nloved on tue road as engineer for fourteen
years. and is considered as one of the COM
nany's most faithful employees. All accounts
agree with his statement that, although his
train was about an hour la.e and had been
running perhaps thirty miles an hour, yet
of the time of the acc dent he had slowed
nm TO about fifteen miles an hour, as is the
cnstom in crossing long bridges. No blame
whatever is attached to him. and after the
accident both he and Fireman Thresher
rendered heroic and efficient aid
in rescuing passengers. Mr.. Pierce
nroceeded to ST Adams with his engine
and the rest of the train after all had been
done that could be and plenty of help had
orrived. He is now at st. Albahs In an
ovbousted condition. In Room 81 at the
Junction house is Andrew Wheeler. about
"a years old. with bad cut under the eye
BRUISED ALL OVER
,,d somewhat burned, but not fatally hurt
De is AN employe of the Derby house.
1T;+obhurg. and was en- route TO Montreal